Peter Frederick Wilson (born 15 September 1947) is an Australian former soccer player. He was the

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

of the Australian squad at the

1974 World Cup The 1974 FIFA World Cup was the tenth FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial football tournament for men's senior national teams, and was played in West Germany (and West Berlin) between 13 June and 7 July. The tournament marked the first time that the ...

in West Germany. His nickname is ''Big Willie'' and his position was

sweeper Sweepers are small, tropical marine (occasionally brackish) perciform fish of the family Pempheridae. Found in the western Atlantic Ocean and Indo-Pacific region, the family contains about 26 species in two genera. One species (''Pempheris xanth ...

Biography

Often regarded as one of the toughest defenders in the modern era, Wilson was a dominating figure in the Australian team in the 1970s. Born in Felling, England in 1947, Wilson migrated to Australia in 1969 to join

South Coast United South Coast United Soccer Club (formerly known as South Coast Croatia Soccer Club) is a semi-professional Australian soccer club from the city of Wollongong, New South Wales. The club was founded in 1984 by Wollongong's Croatian Australian com ...

after failing to break into the first team for English club Middlesbrough. He started his career as full back but injury to another player switched him to sweeper where he had his biggest success. Between 1970–79, he made a then-record 116 appearances for the national team, and captained

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

from 1971, including the

1974 FIFA World Cup The 1974 FIFA World Cup was the tenth FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial football tournament for men's senior national teams, and was played in West Germany (and West Berlin) between 13 June and 7 July. The tournament marked the first time that the ...

finals. When he signed with Sydney club Western Suburbs, Wilson travelled 257 kilometres four times a week for training. He also played with Marconi and APIA Leichhardt and in later years coached South Coast and APIA. Peter Wilson is now living as a

recluse A recluse is a person who lives in voluntary seclusion from the public and society. The word is from the Latin ''recludere'', which means "shut up" or "sequester". Historically, the word referred to a Christian hermit's total isolation from th ...

near Wollongong in New South Wales. After not speaking publicly for more than two decades, an Australian newspaper tracked him down and reported that he was living in a small town south of Sydney. "There's nothing I want to say," he said. "I've got nothing to add." His last match for Australia was a home friendly against Partizan Belgrade on 29 June 1979. The match ended a 1–1 draw.

Internationals and achievements

* A-Internationals: 65 (4 November 1970 – 13 June 1979) * 60 games as captain, 3 goals * 116 games for Australian (incl. Test games 133) * 14 games for New South Wales (6 as captain) * Friendship Cup tournament in Vietnam 1970 * Asia/Oceania Champion 1973 *

Australian captain

References

External links

Englisch Peter Wilson – The Southern Cross
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, Peter 1947 births Living people Footballers from Gateshead English emigrants to Australia English footballers Australian soccer players Australia international soccer players Australian expatriate sportspeople in England 1974 FIFA World Cup players Middlesbrough F.C. players Gateshead F.C. players Balgownie Rangers FC players Marconi Stallions FC players Association football defenders People from Felling Sport Australia Hall of Fame inductees